


and you're shaken to your soul with an ache you can't erase

by rems



Series: fairmount [1]
Category: Everyman HYBRID
Genre: Fairmount Kids - Freeform, Gen, The Mining Town Four - Freeform, they all die bc it be like that in this series
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-13
Updated: 2018-04-13
Packaged: 2019-04-22 06:49:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,355
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14303181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rems/pseuds/rems
Summary: like the tears you've never cried but still keep scrubbing off your face.





	and you're shaken to your soul with an ache you can't erase

**Author's Note:**

> title + desc is from the song "after all"

James Corenthal holds one fourth of his world in his arms as she shudders and cries tears of some black, tar-like substance. He's crying too, rocking her back and forth and pushing the hair out of her eyes. He doesn't know what to do, he was supposed to _protect_ them and one of his charges, his angels, his _children_ is dying in his arms and he can't do anything to stop it. Stephanie coughs violently, sputtering the same black liquid onto his shirt, mixed in with blood and he sobs loudly.

"I'm scared," she says quietly through a sore throat and he cups her face, rocking her again, smearing the black stuff onto her cheek too.

"It's alright, you're going to be alright, it's okay," he says with a small smile, not believing a goddamn word coming out of his mouth, but it seems to calm her. "You're going to go to sleep, alright? You're just going to fall asleep and it'll stop hurting, I promise." Stephanie nods, her bangs bobbing gently, eyebrows furrowed in pain. He nods back and leans down, planting a firm kiss on her forehead, brushing her cheek with his thumb gently.

"Goodnight, Doctor."

"Goodnight, Stephanie. I love you." Steph nods and smiles, freckled nose crinkling slightly, before her face goes limp and her breathing stops. Corenthal hugs her to his chest tightly, rocking more frantically now, sobbing into her long hair, some of which is soaked in the black gunk.

 

Corenthal is shuffling through Stephanie's drawings that night when he hears tiny footsteps behind him. He turns and finds Evan, eyes puffy and red and holding onto one of Stephanie's old stuffed animals in one hand.

"Hello, Evan," he says gently, turning to face him. Evan opens his mouth to respond when his knees suddenly buckle, sending him crashing to the floor. Corenthal's stomach drops and he rushes to the boy, sitting him up. His eyes are already leaking the black gunk, and he coughs violently. "No. No no no no no not you too," Corenthal blabbers, already crying.

"Wh- what's happening, everything hu-urts," Evan whimpers. He wipes at his eyes, looking at the black coating his hand with wide eyes. "What's happening, I don't un-nderstand."

"I know, I know you don't, I'm so sorry," Corenthal gasps, scooping Evan up into his lap.

"I'm going to die," Evan hiccups out, and Corenthal kisses his forehead instead of responding. "I don't wanna die," he says quietly, terrified, gripping onto Corenthal's sweater sleeve. "I don't want to die," he says again and Corenthal nods and hugs him closer.

"I'm so sorry, I don't know how to stop it, I would if i could, I'm so sorry," Corenthal says, hugging to boy as close as he can and rubbing his back and Evan sobs black liquid into his shoulder. "I'm so sorry," he says again.

"I'm scared," Evan whispers and Corenthal smooths a hand through his hair, kissing the side of his head.

"I know, but you'll be okay. It'll be like going to sleep, and then you'll stop hurting." Evan nods and his grip weakens a little. "I love you, Evan. I'm sorry I couldn't stop this." Evan nods weakly and moves his hand so that it rests on the one cupping his cheek.

"Love you too, dad" Evan says, so quietly that Corenthal almost doesn't hear it, and he smiles through his tears, pushing Evan's bangs back from his sweaty face. He presses a kiss to his forehead again and then Evan's eyes slide closed and he goes limp. Corenthal lets out a quiet sob, wiping the tar off of Evan's face with his sleeve, holding him close again.

 

The next morning, Vincent is eating his cereal when he suddenly chokes and pushes himself back from the table, bending over and coughing violently. Corenthal looks over from where he stands at the refridgerator and rushes over to Vinnie's side. He's holding his throat and looks up when Corenthal reaches him, eyes wide with fear as he coughs up more black and blood. He reaches up his arms and Corenthal bends down and lifts him into his arms, cradling him like one would an infant.

"Doctor? What's happening to me?" Vinnie asks into the crook of his neck and Corenthal pats his hip and sways in an attept to comfort him.

"I don't know, Vinnie. I wish I did."

"Am I going to be okay?" he chokes out between coughs and Corenthal presses his face into Vinnie's curls as he tears up.

"Yes, Vinnie, you'll be alright. It'll stop hurting soon."

"Oh," he says. "I'm going to die, aren't I?" Corenthal hesitates before he nods.

"Yes, Vinnie." Vinnie sniffles and coughs violently, Corenthal tightening his grip on his tiny body as he shakes, gasping with the force of his coughs.

"It's okay," he says. "I'm gonna see Stephie and Ev, it's okay." Corenthal pulls away enough to smile down at Vinnie gently, wiping away his dark tears with a thumb.

"You sure are. Be sure you tell them hello for me, wont you?" Vinnie smiles and nods weakly, eyelids growing heavy. "I love you Vinnie, don't you ever forget that, understand?" Vinnie nods again and Corenthal kisses the center of his forehead, pushing the boys round glasses up further on his nose.

"Love you Dad," he says and Corenthal nods, letting out an involantary sob as he smiles down at him. Vincent blinks up at him, eyelashes sticking together a little from the black gunk flowing from his eyes, and smiles back at him slightly, before his face goes slack, eyes still slightly open. Corenthal sits on the ground, still holding him, slips the boys glasses off and closes his eyes for him.

It's only a few hours later, as he and little Jeffery sit on the couch, the boy with his knees pulled up to his chest, staring off into space beside Corenthal as he reads a book, holding one of Jeff's shaky hands in his, when the boy suddenly coughs, loud. Corenthal immediately drops the book to the floor as he turns to face him, finding him looking at his free hand, which is covered in that damned black tar, presumibly from his eyes as there's a smudge of it on his cheek amongst the steady flow. Corenthal immediately grabs the frozen boy, scooting him onto his lap as Jeff shudders violently. The boy hiccups through his tears and Corenthal hugs him gently to his chest, wrapping the spindly boy in his arms.

"Doctor?" Jeffery says gently next to his ear, and Corenthal tightens his arms. Jeff was never one for talking much, not since he'd arrived at Fairmount, probably having to do with the tramatic experience leading to his admission to the home, and it'd been months since he'd heard the boys voice, of _course_ it was as he was about to be taken from him forever.

"Yes, Jeffery?" he answers, pulling back to look him in the face.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright, darling, it's okay. It's not your fault Jeffery," he says, holding the boy's face in his hands. Jeff nods and coughs. "I'm sorry. I couldn't protect you." Jeff shakes his head and tightens his grip on Corenthal's coat as he coughs again, this time for about a minute straight, gasping in breathes as he shakes against Corenthal's chest. Corenthal cradles Jeff to his chest, rocking him back and forth, rubbing his back comfortingly.

"Ow," Jeff squeaks.

"I know, I'm sorry Jeff," Corenthal whispers and Jeff sniffles quietly. "I love you, you know that don't you?" Jeff nods and shuffles closer, burying his face in Corenthal's shoulder. "It's going to be alright." Jeff nods weakly and Corenthal kisses the side of his head. The boy goes limp in his arms and Corenthal keeps him to his chest. He stays like that for a minute or so before screaming out his frustration to the empty house.

His angels are dead. The children that he had sworn to protect, who he would have died for in an instant, are gone. He had failed them. And they weren't coming back.

**Author's Note:**

> haha catch me at 3 am crying over doctor james corenthal i LOVE that guy and his very fucking good kids
> 
>  
> 
> cough cough also dont be weird, corenthals affectionate with his kids he kisses them a lot but dont b fuckin creepy thanks cough


End file.
